Chasing 5:40

I ran my 12th half marathon a couple of weeks ago.
Not to toot my own horn, but I'm getting pretty good at them!

I haven't trained as much as I'd like, which was a choice, but I still felt good.

I still made a goal for myself, and I smashed it.

I'd decided that I wanted to do better than 2:15, and I was pretty sure I could do around 2:10.
I did a 2:08:47.

What was frustrating about that particular experience, was that my first 10k took me 1:05.
That means, the second 10k, and an additional 1.1km took me 1:03.
Negative splits, or, running faster in the second half, is a good thing, but this race wasn't evenly matched.

Boo.

I could have, and should have been closer to 2:00.
Next time.

But it's OK.
I've learned not to beat myself up, because I will most definitely have another opportunity to be faster.
A 5:40min kilometre will get me a sub 2hr half.

I've known this for quite some time and I want it soooooooooo badly.

I'll get there, because I've made a goal of it, and I'll make a plan for it.

But I also make goals within goals, and mini goals.

I virtually have a goal every day, be it for a workout or in my everyday job as a Mom, and often, both.
See, like today, I'd like to not yell so much.
It's hard.
Really hard.
And I didn't even aspire to not yell at all.
Just not so much as I usually do.

When I walk into the gym and we get started on the workout, often we'll know approximately how much time it will take.
I always choose a person in the class to keep up to.
And I often make mini-goals within the workout, which has seen me through some very trying sets.
It's made me stronger, and it's proven to me how resilient I really can be.

Also, I workout with some strong, fast motherf*ckers and it makes me crazy proud to see them crushing goals too.

I've looked at our family schedule for the next month and I can't make it fit an extra workout in, but come mid June I'm going to take a month and do 12 classes a month, or 3 a week, instead of 2.

I am friggin' jacked about this!

I'm excited to see how my body/running/life will change and I'm really starting to enjoy the gym.
I truly don't have an end goal in mind, but I'm damn sure I'll have some along the way.

This guy.
Right here.
Cracks us up and completed our family.

Totally unrelated to my post, but I thought I'd share a pic of my littlest when he was 5 days old.
He turns one in two days and I'm sure I'll be a blubbering mess, as it's the last, 1st birthday we'll celebrate.
He's such a beauty, isn't he?